Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Two Shots of Hope

It has been an interesting few days, to say the least. According to Puck Rakers John Davidson has been wooed heavily by the Columbus Blue Jackets, and is home now in St. Louis pondering his future. I respect that. Diving back in to the deep part of the pool will demand a lot from him, and he should want the job.

Mr. Davidson, if you are listening, I think you have many choices about what direction you want to take your career. As you ponder that, keep in mind that it is nice to be needed. And there is no greater need for a man of your talents than here in Columbus. And while Fox Sports does a great job of providing games and coverage, the other local TV market pretty much ignores the Blue Jackets. You have the skills to pluck that low hanging fruit. And while we are talking about hockey operations, did I mention we have 3 first round draft choices next year? So our need is great, and you have the skills to fill that need. Try us. You'll like us.

As a season ticket holder, I am pleased that our management made a concerted effort to get John Davidson. If he chooses to take his career in another direction, at least a serious effort was made to land this talent. It is my hope that he finds this situation to his liking, and comes to lead our franchise on to new heights. So that is my first shot of hope.

My second shot of hope is the news reported in multiplevenues that the NHL has made an offer to end the lockout, and preserve an 82 game season. Since this is better reported elsewhere, I'll save us both from the effort of writing/reading about it. If you don't already know, follow those links for good coverage of the story. It is indeed a cause for hope that the NHL is making an effort to preserve the season. The NHLPA is out reading the fine print, which they should, but hopefully this is a place from which a deal can be forged.

Two shots of hope this week is a lot more than I ever expected. We will see what comes to fruition.

2 comments:

John Davidson will come here if he is allowed to carry a machine gun and clear out the organization. Sorry about the gun meme, but that is what it will take. Everyone, from Stinger on up, has to go. The Jackets are like a old, run-down house in Upper Arlington that is bought and then torn down. The structure has no value, just the parcel.

Now the question you have to ask, will John McConnell allow this? I doubt it very much. Cleaning house will cost a lot of money in salaries and severance. New, energetic and intelligent hires will cost even more.

Finally, there are the players themselves. Davidson would need a year to evaluate the roster while carefully monitoring the rest of the NHL so that he can assemble the proper team. How patient can the fans and ownership be?

I would love to see someone like Davidson or George McPhee come to Columbus, but not if they simply cash their checks and hold their noses. It is up to McConnell to make a clean break with the past and do things differently.

Mr. Davidson, please come to Columbus. There is no team in the NHL with so much unfulfilled potential in terms of the fans and the team. The Jackets have never been a consistent team and there is no tradition here. You'd have the opportunity to build all of that, which couldn't happen anywhere else.